Anurag Thakur demands probe against Walmart Bribery issue

BJP leader and Member of Parliament from Hamirpur and BJYM National President Anurag Thakur has demanded through investigation into American multi-brand retailer Walmart’s violation of foreign exchange rules in India.

In the letter, wrote to Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, Anurag Thakur requested him to personally monitor an investigation into the matter and raised three key questions. Firstly, has the American retail giant Walmart paid any bribes in India? Secondly, who were these bribes paid to? Thirdly, has Walmart invested $100 million in violation of foreign exchange rules?

Thakur stated that the government refused a vote on the issue of FDI in Parliament and is desperate to implement it without a consensus. The latest media reports of Walmart’s suspension of its Chief Financial Officer along with the entire legal team for bribery in India are not encouraging. Walmart’s violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act in India only goes to prove the BJP’s stand that a more informed debate is required on the subject as well as stringent checks and balances be put in place to prevent another scam story from being written. As per this law a company based in the United States is banned from bribing officials to either win or retain businesses abroad. It needs to be ascertained what role those who were bribed played in pushing for FDI in multi-brand retail in India. It is the duty of the Prime Minister to inform the house and the Indian public what his governments view is on this latest development as this not only affects the retail sector but also projects a negative image of India abroad.

He added that at a time when the country is struggling with numerous scams-one every week or so, a job crunch and an overall down-turn in the economy, it seems ill-timed to unsettle the retail sector and destroy local livelihoods as well as businesses. The government needs to awaken from its deep sleep driven economic inaction and collaborate with the opposition in-order to re-ignite the India story which has taken a severe beating.

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